We dropped points for the first time at home this season, having to settle for a goalless draw against high-flying Newcastle.
In a game that threatened to spill over at times, we found the visitors hard to break down, and their keeper Nick Pope made a huge save late on to deny Eddie Nketiah.
However the draw extended our unbeaten run in the Premier League to 11 games, and inched us another point clear at the top of the table.
Early chances
The atmosphere inside the Emirates was befitting a match between two of the top three teams in the Premier League, and we looked to feed off that energy early on.
Within the opening five minutes Martin Odegaard volleyed over when well placed, Bukayo Saka drew a save from Nick Pope at the near post, and Granit Xhaka fired into the side netting after a rapid counter-attack.
We were looking sharp in possession, carrying on the momentum from our New Year’s Eve performance at Brighton. The first 20 minutes fairly flew by.
Xhaka pulled a shot wide after excellent work by Nketiah to fashion the chance before Gabriel saw a looping header drop just the wrong side of the upright from an Odegaard free kick.
Tempers flare
In an attempt to gain some control Newcastle started to break up play with a series of offences, and the referee Andrew Madley was struggling to keep the game from bubbling over. He issued five yellow cards in the first-half,
Newcastle came out of the blocks strongly in the second half, and Callum Wilson couldn’t quite connect with a low cross after a mistake by Aaron Ramsdale.
Odegaard then flashed a shot over after being set up by Xhaka and Martinelli had a curler straight at Nick Pope.
Frustrations continue
Newcastle were increasingly sitting back, soaking up pressure and looking to catch us on the break. Nketiah was battling well up front but was often crowded out.
We kept searching for the breakthrough. Martinelli glanced a header wide at the near post from a corner with Pope beaten.
Pope made a tremendous save with five minutes remaining to keep it goalless. Nketiah spun in the box and aimed for the bottom corner, but the United keeper stretched and saved with his leg.
We had a huge penalty shout turned down in the final minute, but the goal wouldn’t come, and for the first time this season we failed to find the net.
What it means
Stats and facts
We failed to win on home soil in the Premier League for the first time in 11 games at the Emirates, since a 2-1 defeat to Brighton back in April.
Newcastle are now unbeaten as a top-flight team in 15 games in all competitions (W9 D6) for the first time since December 1995.
We registered our 29th Premier League clean sheet against Newcastle, the joint most shut-outs by a team against a single opponent in the history of the competition (Man Utd also 29 v Tottenham).
Newcastle have kept six clean sheets in a row in all competitions for only the second time ever, also doing so via a run ending in April 1982 (6 in total in that streak).
This was the first time we were involved in a goalless draw in the Premier League since last January against Burnley, with Nick Pope in goal both times for the opposition.
We failed to score for the first time in 18 Premier League games, since a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in May 2022.
There were nine yellow cards in this game – the joint most in a Premier League match in 2022/23 (along with Brighton v Aston Villa in November).
What’s next
We switch focus to the FA Cup next week, as we travel to Oxford United for our third-round tie. They are currently in 14th place in League One, and kick off at the Kassam Stadium is at 8pm (UK time) on Monday, January 9.
Our Premier League campaign will resume the following Sunday, away to Tottenham Hotspur.
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